Paul E. Griffin III – To Meet the Needs of an Older Adult Is One That Takes into Account Their Emotional Needs (Part 2 of 2)
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How do you meet the needs of an older adult? You have to pay attention to what matters to them. You have to work with the wisdom and experience they bring to the table. You have to honor their life stories, paying attention to any losses or trauma they may have suffered. And you need a bit of flexibility and creativity in order to think outside the box when it comes to figuring out how they can be engaged in life. Join me to listen to my conversation with Paul E. Griffin III as we share thoughts, as a provider, on how to best serve older adults. The best approach for meeting the needs of an older adult is one that takes into account their emotional needs – those things that matter most to them like respect for their dignity; opportunities for social connection; feeling useful; having control over their lives; maintaining good health…and so much more! Listen to part 1 of our interview here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/765170/8285352-paul-e-griffin-iii-is-your-mom-slowing-down-more-than-she-thinks-part-1-of-2 Timestamps:[00:00] We can provide an environment, a setting to lend itself for that. But getting the folks to go along with it can be a challenge, especially if, they’re experiencing the later part of dementia or have dementia at some point.[01:36] Having activities for seniors is great, but at times seniors need a nudge to get involved, and this is a form of care itself. How do you make sure that your staff treats their job as that of a caregiver?[04:00] They all have different temperaments. They came to the community with different life journeys.[08:54] The thing is it takes another human being with a heart to sit slowly, understand and relate and commiserate, and really reach into their heart and understand.[11:13] How do you get your staff to find ways of including families in the care plan? Is there a way to make rewards for bringing in families and creating, an enjoyable experience for them?[12:48] Meals are a great time to come together.[13:16] Architecture comes into play.[15:41] We’re in the housing, senior housing, we also need to consider we’re in the caring business, plus we’re in learning how to care best care for folks with dementia.[18:07] You’re making some great impact for young baby boomers, the baby boomers, the silent generation. So you have to keep doing what you’re doing.[20:25] Let’s emphasize the caregiving side.[24:23] 10,000 a day turning 65 for the next several decades.[25:33] Wrap-up Bio:Paul E. Griffin III is the founder, Chief Executive Officer, and President of Griffin Living. A fifth-generation builder with forty years of expertise in real estate development, Paul was inducted into the Forbes Real Estate Council in 2020. Before founding Griffin Living, Paul has overseen the development of projects, including residential homes, apartment complexes, retail centers, and commercial office space. In his career, Paul has created over $4 billion in value and received numerous awards and honors, including Habitat for Humanity’s Builder of the Year (Hammer of Hope) and the Building Industry Association’s Builder of the Year. You can learn more about Paul on his LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-griffin-iii/
Chris Guay – Do Your Senior Living Residents Refer You to Their Friends and Families?
Chris Guay, the founder, and CEO of Vitality Living is with me on today’s episode of Boomer Living. Vitality Living offers retirement living, assisted living, and memory care communities where residents can live purposefully and experience a profound sense of belonging. With more than 20 years of operations, management, and leadership experience, he has a background from community-level leadership roles to senior executive positions at some of the industry’s largest providers. I’m eager to talk to him today about leadership, culture, and the long-term future of the senior housing industry. Timestamps:[00:00] Pre-Intro dialogue from Chris[01:33] Get to know you[04:43] Introduction to Chris Guay[05:26] You obviously have a passion for serving the older adults, baby boomers, and the silent generation. Where did this drive come from? Was it from experiences that you had with your grandparents?[09:56] The meaning behind the name “Vitality”[11:21] Now you mentioned several reasons, what sets your company apart from the others now? How do you make sure that your customers keep coming back to you or refer you to their neighbors into the relative?[17:06] You mentioned a little bit about differentiating between senior living and long-term care. Can you give a summary or your thoughts on that?[19:19] You’ve spoken about the importance of culture in your communities. Can you provide some example that illustrates that?[25:54] How do you empower your employees to take the initiative and be leaders of their own projects?[31:55] Becoming a leader is a journey rather than a destination. Can you share some lessons learned of significant leadership skills that you know, over the course of your career? And then how are you continuing to develop your leadership skills?[36:03] What effect the strong leadership has on residents in terms of the impact on the community? Do you think they feel that, do they see that?[38:04] We all know the devastating effects of COVID on the senior living industry in the past year. What do you think will be the long-term impact on the industry?[41:27] Would you say the future is bright for the senior housing industry?[43:38] Do you have any other thoughts that you would like to share?[44:52] Wrap-up Bio:Chris GuayFounder & CEO at Vitality Senior Living“My inspiration comes from my family and their passion to live life to the fullest. I was blessed with grandparents that played a major role in my life. For as long as I can remember, these wonderful human beings instilled a passion in me to live life to the fullest. From a grandfather who learned how to ski in his 50’s to a grandmother who had a dune buggy in her 70’s, I grew up seeing that life was not limited by age. This inspired me to build Vitality and create life, energy, and purpose for older adults for decades to come. It is my passion to help everyone, regardless of age and circumstance, fully experience life every day they can!” Chris has 20+ years of operations, management, and leadership experience in the Senior Living industry. His broad background was achieved through leadership roles starting at the community level through senior executive positions with the industry’s largest providers, Emeritus & Brookdale Senior Living. He founded Vitality Living in 2016, a company focused on making a real positive difference in the lives of older adults and those who serve them. He is an innovator in the industry and is committed to creating a company that engages residents, families, and team members in successful aging. Learn more about Chris here:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-guay-01aa038/Vitality Senior Living: https://www.vitalityseniorliving.com/